Quality and cost evaluation of a medical financial assistance program.

نویسندگان

  • Douglas A Conner
  • Arne Beck
  • Christina Clarke
  • Leslie Wright
  • Komal Narwaney
  • Neysa W Bermingham
چکیده

BACKGROUND Kaiser Permanente Colorado has been responding to the financial challenges of its members by providing a medical financial assistance (MFA) program since 1992. However, there have been no evaluations of the effect of this program on members' use of health services or their health outcomes. METHODS A prospective cohort study of 308 MFA program members who were enrolled between May 16, 2008, and May 16, 2009, examined changes in their use of health services, costs, and self-reported physical and mental health after enrollment in the MFA program. Use of services was analyzed with multiple regression, and costs of services with generalized linear models. RESULTS MFA increased members' access to health services. There were no changes in physical or mental health status. For each health care visit before the MFA award, patients used the health care system 0.23 visits less. The MFA amount was not associated with an increase or decrease in use. There was no significant difference in total overall cost. Hospital costs were lower, but costs for clinic visits, pharmacy services, phone calls, and radiology services were significantly higher, resulting in service cost neutrality, possibly because financial barriers before MFA award led to accumulated demand for services. CONCLUSIONS Use of services decreased after MFA was received. There was no significant change in total service cost. MFA improved members' ability to pay for medical services and increased their satisfaction with health services.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Impact of “Sambhav” Program (Financial Assistance and Counselor Services) on Hepatitis C Pegylated Interferon Alpha Treatment Initiation in India

Background Financial constraints, social taboos and beliefs in alternative medicine are common reasons for delaying or not considering treatment for hepatitis C in India. The present study was planned to analyze the impact of non-banking interest free loan facility in patients affected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in North India.   Methods This one year observational, re...

متن کامل

Transitioning to a Cost of Quality Culture among Medical Laboratories: a Scoping literature Review

Introduction: organizational culture impress organizational performance and resulted to quality improvement and productivity of organizations. Also, quality quality culture as a set of organizational culture is aimed continency quality improvement and assure the desired quality among medical laboratories. Laboratory services improvement is not happened without cost spending. Limited resources, ...

متن کامل

Economic Evaluation of Screening for Type 2 Diabetes: Case Study of Iran

Abstract Objective: In health economics, one of the important methods of economic evaluation is cost-effectiveness analysis. The usual procedure in this method is to consider effectiveness of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) as a measure criterion. Material and Methods: This was a cross sectional study of economic assessment type or Cost-Effectiveness. All over 30 years old population o...

متن کامل

The Trend of Current Cost Structure in the Selected Hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 2011-2020

Introduction: One of the important economic issues that arise due to limited resources and increasing costs in the health care system is the analysis of hospital costs. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the cost structure of the selected hospitals affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences from 2011 to 2020. Methods: The present applied research is a descr...

متن کامل

Evaluation of Nutritional Assistance Education Models: A Systematic Review

Background: The establishment of good eating practices will impact lifelong nutritional habits and overall health that begins in infancy. This study was conducted to evaluate effective educational models to increase parents' knowledge and awareness in the field of nutritional assistance to toddlers through published articles in the time frame of 2010-2021. Methods: PubMed, Sciencedirect, Web o...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • The Permanente journal

دوره 17 1  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2013